Dial Restoration of St Mary & St Laurence Parish Church, Bolsover, Derbyshire.

19/09/2016

During March 2016, Bolsover Parish Church contacted us regarding a dial restoration. They had received a lottery Heritage Fund grant, to restore the structural integrity of the Church Tower. For this work to be carried out the two clock dials also needed to be removed. This was to allow the stonemasons the access required to repoint the stonework behind the dials. The Church decided to have a dial restoration carried out at the same time, thus utilizing the scaffold which would be in place for the stonemasons.

The above picture illustrates the dials were weathered and in need of restoration. The stonework behind the dials was in need of re pointing and the plants growing out of the gaps between the stonework needed removing.

When our clockmakers approached the dials, it also became apparent that the original steel dial fixings had corroded quite badly and were in need of replacement.

The Restoration

We initially removed the dials to our workshops. They were then taken to a local company who carefully sandblasted the cast iron dials back to bare metal. They then primed them to ensure longevity of the restoration. We painted the dials with a suitable undercoat and two pack black top coat. Our clockmakers then applied 23 1/2 carat double thickness English Gold Leaf to the chapters and concentric rings.

We re-fixed the dials using new stainless steel fixings and a chemical resin system.